Originally published December 7 2005
Radiologist may have botched 10,000 breast cancer screenings with bad judgment
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
The Telegraph reports that an Irish radiologist, working in a breast screening program that involved three hospitals, has been suspended for not performing enough biopsies and for underusing ultrasound technology, and 10,000 women have been recalled to the hospital to review their cases, now that his clinical judgment is a cause for concern among hospital staff.
The breast cancer tests of nearly 10,000 women are to be re-examined following concerns over the clinical judgement of a consultant involved in a screening programme at three hospitals.
The consultant radiologist, who evaluated mammograms, has been suspended.
So far 44 women have been contacted and will be recalled to hospital this week following a review of 514 of his patients at Antrim Area Hospital in Northern Ireland.
The alarm was raised by a GP and it is understood that action was taken following suggestions that the consultant did not carry out enough biopsies on breast lumps.
It was also felt that he should have used ultrasound techniques more frequently.
More than 5,000 Antrim cases are to be reviewed in addition to more than 3,000 at two other hospitals at which he worked.
Yesterday the Northern Ireland Office Health Department said the risk of the 44 patients having cancer was low.
However, the women needed a fuller assessment before the disease could be ruled out.
More than 1,000 women aged between 50 and 65 who were called for routine breast screening at the hospitals are also having their mammograms rechecked.
The unnamed consultant was employed at the Antrim hospital full-time from July 2003 to November 2004.
Following his appointment to Belfast City Hospital at the end of last year he continued to work in Antrim as a locum.
Belfast City Hospital will review the cases of 1,935 women he examined plus 240 referred from a local screening clinic.
Case notes and mammograms will be re-examined and if it is felt that a patient is at risk, she will be re-called.
The radiologist, who was dealing with patients with breast abnormalities detected through routine screening or by GP referral, also worked at Altnagelvin Hospital, Londonderry, for two years until 2003.
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